Calzones

If you have made my Pizzeria Pizza Dough, you are ready to make these delicious homemade Calzones. One recipe of dough will make 4 large calzones. Calzones are like turnovers made with pizza dough and they’re filled with cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. They are like a portable pizza that can be eaten while you hold it in your hand. You can put whatever you like into your calzone. The cheese filling is very good mixed with come cooked Italian sausage or pepperoni.

Whenever I make calzones, I like to serve a small dish of marinara dipping sauce on the side. You can buy marinara in a jar or try this great recipe for a CrockPot Marinara Sauce! Your house will smell like Italy!

Cheese Filling for the Calzones

3/4 c. whole milk ricotta cheese

1 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 egg white

Stir with a fork until smooth.

Start with the dough. After it has risen for about 30-40 minutes, punch it down and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-9″ circle. Fill half of the circle of dough with one fourth of the cheese filling (and anything else you want…like sausage, mushrooms, etc.) Leave about an inch from the edge so that you can fold the dough over the filling into a half moon shape. Crimp the edge with a fork. (This keeps all the melty, cheesy filling inside while it bakes.) Place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. If you have never used Parchment Paper for baking, you really ought to try it. You’ll love the results and you will feel like a professional baker!

Using a fork, beat an egg with 1 T. water. Brush the egg wash over the top of the calzone. (I like to sprinkle the top with garlic salt and dried parsley flakes it gives it a nice flavor!) Bake it in a pre-heated 375° oven for 25 minutes. It will come out golden and crispy! Serve hot with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

I haven’t always had good luck with freezing unbaked yeast dough. I would recommend that if you want to freeze them, you should probably bake them first (at least partially.) You can then thaw them and reheat them (in the oven so they will get crispy again.)